Current location in this text. Enter a Perseus citation to go to another section or work. Full search
options are on the right side and top of the page.

[34]

It now remains for us to speak of the climata.1 Of
these too we shall give but a general description, commencing
with those lines which we have denominated elementary,
namely, those which determine the greatest length and breadth
of the [habitable earth], but especially its breadth.

To enter fully into this subject is the duty of astronomers.
This has been done by Hipparchus, who has noted down (as
he says) the differences of the heavenly appearances for every
degree of that quarter of the globe in which our habitable
earth is situated, namely, from the equator to the north pole.

What is beyond our habitable earth it is not however the
business of the geographer to consider. Nor yet even in regard to the various parts of the habitable earth must too minute and numerous differences be noticed, since to the man
of the world they are perplexing; it will suffice to give the
most striking and simple of the statements of Hipparchus.
Assuming, as he does himself after the assertion of Eratos-
thenes, that the circumference of the earth is 252,000 stadia,
the differences of the [celestial] phenomena will not be great
for each [degree] within the limits between which the habitable
earth is contained. Supposing we cut the grand circle of the
earth into 360 divisions, each of these divisions will consist
of 700 stadia. This is the calculation adopted by [Hipparchus] to fix the distances, which [as we said] should be taken
under the before-mentioned meridian of Meroe. He commences at the regions situated under the equator, and stopping
from time to time at every 700 stadia along the whole length
of the meridian above mentioned, proceeds to describe the
celestial phenomena as they appear from each. But the
equator is not the place for us to start from. For even if
there be there a habitable region, as some suppose, it forms a
habitable earth to itself, a narrow slip enclosed by the regions
uninhabitable on account of the heat; and can be no part of
our habitable earth. Now the geographer should attend
to none but our own habitable earth, which is confined
by certain boundaries; on the south by the parallel which
passes over the Cinnamon Country;2 on the north by that
which passes over Ierna.3 But keeping in mind the scheme
of our geography, we have no occasion to mark all the
places comprehended within this distance, nor yet all the ce-
lestial phenomena. We must however commence, as Hipparchus does, with the southern regions.

1 The climata are zones parallel to the equator. The ancients generally reckoned seven climata, which in the time of Hipparchus terminated at 48° 30′ 35″, where the longest day consisted of sixteen hours.
He however multiplied these divisions and extended them farther towards
the poles. It is a great pity that Strabo has not noted all of them.

An XML version of this text is available for download,
with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted
changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.